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Topic: 5th Gear Didn't Catch (Read 1408 times)

The BackgroundThis is a 2009 EFI Royal Enfield G5 Classic. It currently has about 650 miles on the odometer. Its first service was performed at 400 miles last Friday, after which I took it to the beach and back Sunday.

The IssueTwice before that first service, while riding in city, I've shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear only to find myself in a sort of Neutral... engine was revving but the transmission wasn't catching. Dropping it down a gear and trying again resolved it. At the time I'd chalked it up to operator error.

During the beach trip, once on the way out and once again on the way back, I had shifted from 4th to 5th gear and found myself in the same situation. Engine revving but no transmission. In the first case I'd dropped it back to 4th, found nothing there as well, then down to 3rd before I got actual road power. A minute later I tried 4th again, got power, and then 5th, which also responded. On the way home it was merely 5th gear that went wonky on me.

This has happened a grand total of 4 times now, and being a non-mechanically inclined individual it's starting to make me very nervous. Is this a know issue, part of the break-in process? Have I already broken something? Warranty issue with the transmission?

Nothing is broken don't worry. three things could be at play here1. clutch slightly out of adjustment - not likely but possible2. The transmissions get better with age3. Operator error. Error is a strong word however. There is basically nothing inside the transmission to cause this. The shift has a long throw and requires a very positive shift. We have seen several cases of customers (and a couple of dealers) swearing that they were getting all sort of false neutrials. They were in fact getting them but there was nothing wrong. We then gave these customers and a dealer a bike that was known to never miss a shift. They experienced the same problem. As we very carefully watched people shift it became clear that it was often times a case of boots, new shoes or footwear that didn't allow them to "feel" the shift, or because they were not shifting in a very positive manner. Sometimes it helps to move the shifter one notch.

I know the first reaction will be to think "he is just making an excuse" but we have been through this quite a bit and have always ended up at the same place. I would suggest that you try some tennis shoes a couple of times and feel the shift. You also need to make sure that you make each shift in a very positive way.

The old four speeds had at least one neutral for every gear and it was easy to miss a shift through no fault of your own.

The old four speeds had at least one neutral for every gear and it was easy to miss a shift through no fault of your own.

Very true, I took the my 4spd to work today for the first time in 2 weeks. Must of had 4 or 5 false neutrals. Not the bikes fault, it is just that my foot was thinking I was using a newer 5 speed and being lazy.

Ya, as others have mentioned this is normal.. You have to make positive shifts, and eventually you will not notice it and only hit a false neutral once in a while. It did seem to smooth out for me around 1000 miles.

As already noted, nothing wrong. Do check your clutch adjustment, it goes out more often when the bike is new and the clutch cable is settling in. r80t's suggestion to adjust the lever is a good one if it doesn't feel right the way it is.

Also, you can pre-load the shift lever a little before clutching. Just put a little pressure on it before you pull in the clutch, then cluth with a deliberate upshift. It should smooth the transition.

It does get better with break in, it's always better if you pay more attention

I moved my shifter up one notch, made a huge difference in positive shifting.

Just like me. Actually I tested several combinations of peg level and shifter adjustment. Big different between riding boots and sneakers, too. It´s really necessary to adjust the bike to your body features, this will have an impact on weather you can keep control of your bike in difficult situations or not. The handlebars and levers need that aswell.It prooved to be usefull to ride a couple of days with a new adjustment, even if its clear that is doesn´t fit very well. I first hated the way I put peg and shifter together - but after two days my foot adjusted itself to this set perfectly

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Ya, as others have mentioned this is normal.. You have to make positive shifts, and eventually you will not notice it and only hit a false neutral once in a while. It did seem to smooth out for me around 1000 miles.

+1

Shift like you MEAN it. The tranny can take it. My last ride of 100+ miles had NO problems shifting into or staying in 5th gear. The C5 now has 2k miles.

The next time you get a shift where you end up with a neutral, rather than shifting back down to a lower gear, pull in the clutch lever and try shifting it into the missed gear again. This time be sure to fully raise the shift lever with your foot.

I've tried this several times and I've always ended up in the gear that I had wanted.

Where the Japanise bike have a short "snip", "snip" sort of shifting the Royal Enfields need a long positive shift with the foot lever to allow them to pass the neutral that is between each gear and engage the next gear.